Till Death Do Us Part
by John Farragut
Summary: The love triangle between Bowser, Peach, and Mario only widens as both contenders long for her heart. Chapter 4 is done, with more soon to come. WOOT!
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1. **_

It took a while for Yoshi to thumb through the half-inch-thick catalog, his chubby fingers brushing the scrapbook-styled pages across his globe-shaped nose. The howling white wind battered the living room windows with thick snowflakes, but Yoshi paid it no heed. He peered at the photos in each page with a smile on his face; he pictured Birdo in each pose and imagined her admiring the jewelry that the models wore.

The doorbell ringing prompted a _hup _from him as he jumped from the sofa. He rested the catalog onto the coffee table, the pages of the magazine fluttering shut like a deck of shuffling cards. He waddled toward the door and opened it as a howling gust blew through.

"Oh, hey, guys!" he piped as he saw the two figures standing in jeans and leather jackets. "Get in here! It's crazy out there!"

"Hurb-ub-ub-uh!" Luigi shuddered. Each jerk of his head dropped snow to the wooden floor. "You wouldn't believe how far we had to walk here!"

"What happened?"

"Genius Luigi was listenin' to the radio when the announcer said Flower Drive was snowed out," accented Mario with a frown in opposition to Luigi's carefree grin. "Guess what? He drove right into it, got the front of the car wedged in between two snowdrifts. The car looks like red underwear running up the crack of a fat kid's butt."

Yoshi let out a laugh and closed the door behind his friends. "Wow, Mario, your goatee's really filling in! Has Peach seen it yet?"

"Nah, she'll see it tonight."

"Hey, weren't you going to be at the castle early?"

"We were supposed to. If I can't get my car out of the snow by six o'clock, I'll need a limo to pick us up."

"Go with the limo, anyway," said Yoshi, fetching his magazine from the coffee table.

"What's that you're reading?" Luigi asked. _"Birdo Stock? _What's this?"

"Give me that!" Yoshi protested, yanking the magazine away with a rip of the cover.

"What is that stuff?" Luigi mumbled.

"Yeah, what is that stuff?" asked Mario, hanging up the phone. "Wow-_ee!_Look at the price! That watch has gotta be worth a platinum coin!"

"I'm just trying to find something nice for Birdo that I can afford."

"Whoa. You haven't _gotten_ her anything yet?" wondered Luigi. "Christmas is a week away, and it's on a Tuesday!"

"It's a good thing you aren't going to be at the Christmas party tonight," said Mario. "We're doin' the gift exchange there."

"And showing off your goatee," said Yoshi. "You know, the problem is finding something for her. I never know what to get women."

"Who _does?" _said Luigi with a light huff.

"You and Birdo have known each other for a long time. I know she'd love anything you give her," said Mario. "Even if it's just a bar of chocolate or a hat, she'll love it because she loves you and the gift's from your heart."

"So--" Luigi paused. "Birdo's gettin' a blood transfusion?"

In a heartbeat, the two brothers let out laughs and showed grins.

"Do you guys mind?" protested Yoshi. "It's just--I-I want to get her something really special. Something that looks like her--that-that _sounds _like her."

"A foghorn?"

On cue, Mario and Luigi exchanged laughs and a quick high-five.

"All right, all right. You know, I bet you're the only ones who think you're funny. I got to get changed."

"Whoa, what for?" asked Luigi. "Oh, yeah, you guys are finishing up your CD, right?"

"Yeah. Michelle's going to drive me insane until this is done," sighed Yoshi, sliding from the sofa and waddling down the hall.

"So what'd Toadsworth say on the phone?" asked Luigi in a whisper.

"The plane should touch down in an hour," breathed Mario. "The limo will be here in thirty."

Luigi showed a worried look. "We might not pull this off in time."

"We will. You can be sure of it."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2: Business as Usual**_

The cheery desert sunlight became saddened as it lost itself in the dismal walls of Bowser's castle. Only a touch of light entered through the fortress's windows, doing little to help the faint glow of the grasping torches further inside. The kitchen sat on the bottom level of the castle, and its two small windows opened to the west to bring in the light of the lowering winter sun. The brushed aluminum refrigerator, the ivory white twin sinks, and the tiled countertops stood out amid the oppressive brick walls beyond the room. Wooden cabinets and mellow overhead lights gave comfort to the small corner of the dank castle.

Maros Kanan leaned against a thin refrigerator door and held a saucer and teacup in both hands. His emotionless face twitched as he heard pounding footsteps mixed with panting breaths. The noise grew closer as a pair of horns and a cherry-red mane emerged from around the corner. As Bowser's bulbous face turned into view, the servant's tall, broad body stood without giving a bow, and his slender-billed face was flat and unmoved.

"I don't suppose you'd want some tea," Maros droned.

"Tea's for _ladies_. Make me a protein shake and double the recipe. I'm working on chiseling out my six-pack." Bowser grinned and nodded his bulky head.

"The only six-pack _I_ see you with is a half-dozen beers in a sports bar," the servant muttered under his breath.

"Ahem?" Bowser growled, motioning with a clawed hand. "My _shake?"_

"I'm not making it for you."

On cue, Bowser's face warped into a scowl. "Do you have _any _idea who you workfor here?"

"If you're trying to build your body in under a week, you're wasting your time. You should have started this in your adolescent years--which, if I remember correctly, were spent flexing your fat arms in front of a mirror."

"Yeah, well, you're forgettin' the grand finale, where I take out that bikini poster from under my bed, stare at it for a while, and then--lock the door."

Maros beamed an icy stare at Bowser's lecherous grin. "I loathe you."

"There you are, Your Mightiness!"

"Speak of the devil," Maros mumbled as Kamek's draping blue robe marched into the kitchen.

"Protein shake, Sire?"

"Two shakes. I'm doing double crunches!"

"Excellent! I can see you on the cover of _Koopa Athletics _any day now! I should start calling you Your Muscularness!"

"Oh, my God," droned Maros in disgust.

"You're just jealous that you don't have the body our great King has!"

Maros turned to face Kamek and uncloaked a magazine from his jacket. The magazine spun through the air and landed on the counter with a thick slap, and Maros leaned against the fridge and sipped his tea once again as Bowser's eyes bugged out. The Koopa on the front cover had the same smirked face. Three pairs of muscles lay beneath two thick pectorals, and both hands hovered just above his jeans, ready to flex his arm and show more veins in his lean biceps.

"You--You're too good for that rag, Sire," said Kamek in a disheartened voice.

"Damn straight! Hey, you get the mail yet?"

"It's on the counter behind you."

"I never put it there. Why do you have to put it there?"

"I didn't put it there! Maros puts it there!"

"You know I hate it there!" roared Bowser to Maros. "Why can't you put it on my bed like everybody else?"

Maros cracked a smile and put the teacup to his bill. "I find your anger amusing."

"Yeah, yeah," said Bowser, taking the stack in hand. He tossed away each piece of mail as he talked to himself. "Crap. Crap. Crap. Death threat. Crap. Whoa--big box. Is it a bomb threat?"

"I don't know. It might be."

"Whatever. I'll mail it back. Crap. Crap. Cr--" Bowser stopped. His arm reached for the last piece of mail but then sagged back to his side.

"That one's mine, Sire," said Kamek, taking the pine-green envelope. "Um--Sire? Are you all right?"

Bowser stood with his broad shoulders slumped. His face darkened, but with a hurt look. "She didn't write back."

"What?"

"It's been a week. She didn't write back to me. I thought she'd at least send me that castle invitation she sends out. She always invites her friends to her Christmas crap."

"You never get invited to parties, Sire," said Kamek with a puzzled look. "You crash them."

"Yeah, and _that _works real well, doesn't it?" he spat.

Kamek was taken aback. After a while, he raised an eyelid. "So the day has come. Our Highness is finally using his head."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3: Convergence**_

The jet roared over the runway at McCaskill International and touched down, running between two parallel rows of blue lights. Inside the warm cabin, Daisy stared at the moonlight poking through the twilight-blue clouds, and Peach watched the lights from the airport terminal speed by. The noise of the jet turbines winding down faded into the background of her mind. She watched the lights slow down in their parade across the view of her window, but in the foreground, her frowning face reflected back at her. She dreaded where she was going and who was to be expected.

"Miss Peach, Miss Daisy, is there anything you need before we disembark?" asked Toadsworth. He poked his oblong head through the cabin's double doors and showed an attentive look.

"No, thank you," Peach mumbled.

"I'll have another shot of the raspberry cocoa," said a more chipper female voice. "And Peach wants a little more, too. Right, Peach?"

Peach closed her eyes and managed a chuckle. "Okay. Yes, please."

"Here you are," said Toadsworth as he poured the steaming cocoa from the thermos. "Well, I suppose I should strap myself in, as they say! Simply page me if you need anything. Toad and I will have to call our chess match a tie. He won't have time to work out of his corner unless he suddenly calls out--"

_"Checkmate!"_

Toadsworth's jolly face drooped like a garland. Toad's high voice cackled, and his small hands clapped.

"What?! Impossible! I had you _defeated!"_

The soundproofed double doors slid shut, and Peach nodded and took a taste from her mug. "Mmm. This is good."

Daisy nodded. "Okay, Peach, _that's_ it!"

"What? What's it?"

"You! Why are you so bugged? You haven't said ten words this whole trip!"

"Oh, it's just this party," she sighed as she and Daisy rose from their chairs and grabbed their laptop cases. "I'm just tired, I guess. I don't know if I'm up for it."

"Oh, come on! Lighten up! Mario's going to have asurprise!" Daisy put a hand alongside her mouth and whispered, "He's grown a _goatee!" _

Peach giggled and showed a lively smile. "What?"

"Yoshi took a picture on his cell and sent it to mine. Gotta warn ya, Peach, I think he's pretty _sexy!"_

"Who? Yoshi?"

With grins, Peach and Daisy burst into laughter.

"Sexy Yoshi!" giggled Daisy. She laughed on, but Peach let out a heavier sigh that matched her falling face.

"Ugh. Come on, Peach. This is crazy. You need to get into the Christmas spirit!"

"I got a letter from Bowser."

Daisy's smile never went away. "_Him _again? Don't let him get to ya, Peach. You know he's just angry because you didn't invite him to the Christmas bash."

A moment passed as the thought sank into Peach's mind. "Yeah," she said with a shrug. "You're right. Why bother thinking about him?"

The double doors glided open, and a loud hissing came from the left-hand side. An opening in the plane appeared as hydraulics lowered a platform of steps to the pavement. Toad and Toadsworth motioned away from the exit, sweeping their arms to the side.

"Oh!" the princesses chorused with curtseys. "Thank you!"

As they grasped the railing, frigid gusts of wind whipped their dresses and their hair. They clung to the railings and made their way down the steep ladder stairs, careful not to trip over their elaborate pastel dresses.

"Didn't you say it snowing like crazy when we took off from Petalburg?" shouted Toad over the gusty wind.

"Well, Master Amadino said it was _blizzardry_ in places, but the storm mostly passed the airport," said Toadsworth.

"Aw, I was hoping for some snow!" whined Daisy with a smile.

"I doubt it would be any good for those poor people who have to commute on the freeways," noted Toadsworth.

"And _we're _going to be on those freeways," said Peach.

"Well, here we are, ladies," announced Toadsworth as the group stopped at the front of a jet-black limousine. "Our transportation to the castle awaits us."

"All right! A limo!" exclaimed Daisy. "Life is good! Heya, Peach, I can't wait to see your castle! I heard it's pretty decked out for Christmas!"

"The staff and I have done a job worthy of the critics, if I do say so myself," boasted Toadsworth. "Toad and I were able to see the lights from up in the air."

"Then it's gotta be pretty cool! Right, Peach?"

Peach said nothing. Her mind drifted back into another dimension, away from the merry chatter of her friends.

Toad opened the passenger door and showed a smile as big as Toadsworth's. The smiles shattered when the masked figure uncovered a gun.

The silenced gunshot punched through the air, and without a sound, Daisy collapsed in a heap onto the carpet. Toadsworth gasped and began to leap toward her, but he stumbled forward and moaned as he passed out.

_"No!" _Peach screamed. "Daisy!"

"Grab her!" the driver shouted.

Two figures with masked heads leapt from the other side of the limousine and blocked Peach. One grasped her wrists, tying them together with a strip of cloth. The other blindfolded her eyes and gagged her mouth with a handkerchief tied around her head. She cried out and wiggled to break free, unable to match the captor's strength.

"Get away from her!" yelped Toad, lunging at the attackers.

The driver leapt from the seat and seized Toad by his tiny arms. He squealed and squirmed, kicking the air. They struggled to the back of the car, where the trunk door was lifted open like a grasping jaw.

"What?! No! Don't put me in there!" Toad screamed. "Let go! This is crazy! This is--No! Don't put me in there! Don't--"

The door slammed shut, and the driver walked away, ignoring the pounding of Toad's fists against the thick metal door. The attackers' ski masks came off, unveiling three Koopas. Two Koopas lifted Toadsworth's and Daisy's limp bodies into the limousine's passenger section.

"Let's get out of here," said Maros, the tallest of the three. "Watch them. Make sure they don't pull any surprises!"

"Yes, Sir!" "Yes, Sir."

--

"...Yeah, my home address is 626 Firebird Drive in Mushroom City. ZIP is 313-31-2631."

Yoshi let out a yawn as he listened to the clacking of computer keys on the other end of the phone line. In the background, music played over the studio's speakers and made its way through the double-paned windows.

_"All right, you're all set," _said the female voice. _"We should have that sent out tomorrow. If it doesn't get here by Friday, just give us a call."_

"Thanks," said Yoshi. He hung up his cellphone and let out a sigh of relief. _All right. That's one thing down._

"Oh, brother!"

Yoshi swung around to face a female Koopa in pink-and-white sneakers. Her thrush-brown hair shook with a frustrated flair. "Are you _still _on your phone?"

"I just got off, Michelle! Take it easy!"

"Just get into Recording, Yoshi! You need to redo the drum solo!"

"Brian should have the drum solo for 'Little Drummer Boy' on file."

"He can't find it on the computer! You gave us a blank disc!"

"Oh, _terrific," _sighed Yoshi. "I think I know right where it is."

"Yeah, but that won't get it done, Yoshi!" said Michelle as Yoshi's cellphone played an electronic melody. "Ugh. You have to be _kidding_ me," she groaned, turning away with a whip of her wavy hair.

"Just remember why we call ourselves 'Perfect Timing,' Michelle," chided Yoshi, glancing at the screen on his phone.

**TOAD CELL**

1-602-555-5389

"Yoshi!" he answered.

_"Yoshi, why didn't you pick up your phone?!"_

"I just got off! Why? What's going on _now?"_

_"I'm in the trunk of a limo! Princess Toadstool has been kidnapped!"_

"Wha--?!"

_"Three masked guys were waiting in the limo that was supposed to pick us up from the airport! Two of 'em nabbed Peach, Toadsworth passed out, and Daisy opened the passenger door and got hit with a knockout dart!"_

"Can't you get ahold of Mario and Luigi?"

_"No! You're the only one I got through to! I tried--" _He paused. In the background, the car's engine wound down.

_"Wait a sec! The limo's stopping!"_

"Where are you? I can come find you!"

_"Not sure yet. Wait! They're opening the trunk! I--Hey! Get your hands off--Yoshi, we're--!"_

The voice on the other line broke off and gave way to a dial tone. Yoshi listened to the tone, his body petrified like a deer in headlights.

"Michelle, I've gotta go! Someone's in trouble!"

--

Peach wriggled and squirmed as she stumbled across the floors of her castle. She cried out for help, but the gag over her mouth muffled her pleas. Behind her, the other Koopas held their wriggling captors. One held Daisy and ignored her terrorized pleas, and the other wrenched Toad's and Toadsworth's wrists in choking grips behind their backs.

"Stop here!" shouted Maros. He pulled Peach to his side and leapt into the air, barreling the double doors open with a karate kick. "Come on! Step lively! Step lively!"

The crowd of Koopas, Toads, and Yoshis inside the decorated ballroom gasped in horror as the doors slammed open. The noise grew silent; the captives stumbled inside at the hands of the Koopas. Wario's and Waluigi's smiles drooped. Toadette let out a scream as she saw Toad struggling. Koopa the Quick tiptoed backward and tucked himself behind the branches of a Christmas tree.

"Sir, I demand an explanation!" cried Toadsworth.

"Shut up," said Maros. "You three, get back there with Luigi! _MOVE!"_

Toadsworth skittered backward into the crowd, with Daisy and Toad following behind and flashing looks of horror.

"Sit here!" Maros ordered, heaving Peach into a cushioned chair. Peach landed on the seat, letting out a grunt that was hushed by her gag. With vicious movements, Maros untied the cloths from her head and her wrists. As the blindfold lifted from her eyes, she groaned, overtaken by the chandelier light that flooded her wide vision.

"A lucrative captive, you are," droned Maros, untying the gag. "Maxwell, Evans, guard the doors! No one gets in or gets out!"

The two Koopas scuttled toward the doors and tucked their hands behind their backs.

Maros turned to the crowd. "Take out your cellphones and pagers, and shove them across the floor. _NOW!"_

The crowd huddled to the floor, never taking their eyes off Maros. Plastic cases rattled and clacked as they slid across the tiles.

Maros turned his icy gaze away from the crowd. He peered down at her captive and laid his hands on his hips. "Madam, you are in the presence of witnesses. You have information and plans that endanger marital security."

Peach raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Maros squatted down to eye level. "You listen to me," he murmured in a low voice. "Whatever you know, you will have to take it up with me. If you don't, we'll bring in our interrogator and I promise you that this will be one of the best days of your life."

Peach continued to show a blank look.

"You want it that way, then? Maxwell! Evans! Bring him in!"

The Troopa guards nodded, opening the creaking doors. Peach watched as her heart accelerated. Her hands clenched as she continued to take in heavy breaths. A few soft steps echoed through the hall outside, then grew louder. On cue, the crowd let out gasps and froze in their steps.

Luigi, Toad, and Toadsworth showed proud smiles as Mario strode further into the room. Peach gasped and put a hand to her mouth as she beheld him and his tuxedo; she felt herself becoming woozy. He came ever closer, unable to suppress his smile.

Peach let out shallow breaths as she peered up at Mario's adoring gaze. "What--what--what's happening?"

Mario beamed a tender smile as bright as the sun. "I love you, Peach," he said, bending one knee. With a gentle hand, he pulled a velvet box from his pants pocket. The lid opened with hardly a noise, and Peach exhaled in awe at the gleaming ring tucked into the soft case. A diamond reflecting the purest light stood in the center, guarded by two pairs of smaller gems on both sides.

"I love you," repeated Mario. "Will you marry me?"

Her hand never left her mouth. A finger caught a runaway tear. In the background, the crowd let out a unanimous coo of delight. They stared in growing anticipation and exchanged smiles and whispers.

"Mario, I--" Peach stammered for a moment, gathering her breaths. "You went through a lot of trouble!"

Mario's smile warmed even more. "You're worth it."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4: The Royal Letdown**_

**Twenty minutes later...**

"...I don't understand it!" blurted Yoshi. "Why would she say _no?!"_

"I don't know," replied Mario, trying to hold back a sob. "I saw her eyes as I showed her the ring. She was speechless. I thought, 'I _nailed _this one! I just _know_ she's gonna say yes!'"

"And once she said no to him and saw the box in his hand," added a glum Luigi, "she-she pushed it back--you know, like she was serious. He looked--betrayed, or-or something. It tore my heart out."

Mario sighed and shook his head. A tear dribbled down his left cheek. "What did I do wrong?"

"Did she say anything else to you?" asked Yoshi.

"Not really. The party kind of ended there. Everyone kind of drifted around and gave me these looks, like, 'Wow, that poor guy.'" His frown began to distort, and tears welled up in his large eyes. "I just stood there. She didn't give me a reason why. She said no."

"I still can't believe it," said Luigi. "What possible reason would there be for doing this? It's almost cruel!"

Mario's face buried into the collar of his shirt as he tried to hide his sobs. "I don't get it!" he cried. "I went to all that effort just to make it special, and she just turns me down like she never even knew me!"

"It's got to be hard on her, too," said Yoshi softly.

"But--it wasn't," said Luigi in a slow breath.

"What do you mean?"

"I kept looking at Peach when she left the room. It's like--I dunno--she didn't really stop to think about it. Like she had already been through this sort of thing."

"Well, I'm sure she has," agreed Yoshi. "She's probably had hundreds of men ask her for her hand. She's probably turned them down just like that."

"Not my brother. She's loved him all her life. She used to tell me she always dreamed about him proposing to her! This _doesn't _make sense!"

"Well--" Yoshi paused. "The only person it might make sense to is her."

--

"I cannot believe you!" Toadsworth whipped his spectacles from his face and set them on the bedroom's media cabinet.

"Toadsworth, don't use that tone with me."

"I am flabbergasted at how you treated him! Do you know how long I have been waiting for you two to get married?"

"It was my choice," said Peach.

"You should have _said _something! You ran out of the room without giving an explanation!"

"They don't need an explanation."

"I certainly disagree. Those people are your friends! You left them completely in the dark. And how embarrassing it must have been for Mario! To be left there without so much as a goodbye!"

"I didn't know what to say! I just--I'm not ready to be married yet!"

"After all he has done for you," said Toadsworth--"After how much he has sacrificed for you--how he has almost sacrificed his own lifeand the lives of his friends just for_ you!"_

"I know!" shouted Peach, her voice quaking. "I owe him _everything_ because of what he's done for me!"

"At least you understand that. But your friends needed to know that. Even if you felt the time wasn't right for you to say yes, you should have still told them _and _him--how much you _love_ him!"

"I don't love him anymore!"

Toadsworth fell silent. His mouth closed shut, and he took a step backward.

"I don't know what's going on with me," she wept, catching her tears with a lacy handkerchief. "I have _tried_ to love him, and these past few months have been hard, because every time I got near him, I--" She let out a sob. "He didn't _do_ anything, he didn't _say_ anything, it's just--I didn't feel that connection like we used to have. It's--It's gone. That's all I can say. It's gone."

Toadsworth bowed his head and took another step backward, interlacing his fingers. "I'm sorry, Madam," he said. "I didn't know that this is what has troubled you so. Do you--" He paused. "Do you have feelings for someone else?"

Peach nodded, sending more tears streaming down. Her face shriveled as he sobbed.

"And--Mario doesn't know, because you feel it would break his heart?"

"How could I tell him?"

"Can you tell _me?" _asked Toadsworth softly. "At least give me some idea of what your feelings are! Are they really so significant that you can't even tell Mario what they are? He's still here! He'll listen to you!"

"No, he won't! He wouldn't have any reason to!"

"Of course he would. His love for you is very deep."

"No. Not deep enough for this."

There was a pause. Toadsworth shrugged and shook his head. "Then I really don't know what else to say. But have you done the extreme and slept with him?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Then I honestly don't understand why this troubles you so," said Toadsworth. "Unless there's anything you need, Madam, I must dismiss myself."

"Go ahead."

Concern wiped upon his face, Toadsworth picked up his glasses and exited the room. The door groaned shut and sealed itself with a heavy click.

As Toadsworth's footsteps faded away, Peach sniffled and took in a settling breath. Her eyes wandered across the room, across each window that showed falling snow. She paused, looking out the farthest window on her right. Beyond the mountains lay the dwelling place of her desire. She smiled, thinking about his face and his voice.

_To dearest Peach:_

_This letter has been a long time coming. But as I am too nervous and unworthy to tell you what is in my heart, I hope that I can explain myself in writing._

Peach's sunny smile returned to her face. A rush of joy swept through her as she took out her box of trinkets. The bronze case was graced with feathers of silver and clasped shut by untarnished latches. The latches clicked open at Peach's gentle touch, and the lid squeaked, unveiling the parchment which she took in hand with the greatest of care. The paper unrolled in her hands and rustled like a leaf. A watercolor texture lay across the parchment, adding depth to the curves and shapes of the calligraphy.

_None of this can I tell to anyone else in confidence. I have always admired you as a woman--strong, independent, intelligent. Everything about you is perfect. But you know me and how much I fall short of your heart. I cannot count the times when I came across as selfish, disrespectful and arrogant. I wish I could forget the times when I have hurt you. _

_I will never blame you if you think of me as an unmannered, uncivilized rogue. But I wish that I didn't come across as such, and I hope you believe me when I say that I cannot stop thinking about you. I love you--not as a desperate man or a shallow lover or anything of the sort--but as someone I hope you truly, eternally love, as much as I love you._

Peach came to the end of the letter as emotion and desire welled up higher within her. She stared at the signature, a work of art within its elaborate cursive and embellishments.

_With my heart longing for yours--_

And Peach stopped to mouth the words of the writer's name. They felt sweet to her lips and refreshing to her soul. Her heart took each word in and fluttered in delight.


End file.
